I'm a keen Hilton fan, but this one disappoints. Location is poor, next to abandoned convention center and a bit of a walk from any restaurant or even tram lines. Hotel itself is new and fancy, but views are uninspired. I was shocked to learn there is no swimming pool. Hotel has no "normal" restaurant, just a tapas wine bar. Maid service was appalling - they didn't clean at all the second day, then stole one of the bathrobes and skipped toilet cleaning the third day. Sorry to whinge. Otherwise, service was friendly and facilities are new and lovely. It is close to the casino.

Bottom line, for the same price you can get a better hotel in central Melbourne.

This is a seriously stylish and comfortable place. Our suite was spacious, the bathroom was stunning, the bed was truly comfortable, the views (thru' ceiling to floor wrap around windows) were spectacular, great having a small kitchen and washing machine/dryer and very quiet - no sounds from neighbouring rooms - no noise from the outside, nice turn down service and generous bathroom toiletries. The Exec Lounge was also spacious .. the balcony was a great place for breakfast and an evening drink - though the offering was not on par with similar hotels in Melbourne and elswehere in Australia.

But there were issues - which dulled the experience and made us think twice about a return.

The first .. it's a bit out of the way. OK if you have time (as we did) or want to hang out on the South Bank or in Docklands .. but a real trek to the CBD (through a pretty bleak urban land scape).

The second .. dealing with reservations. This is a real pain if you are redirected a couple of times .. as we were .. to some unhelpful call centre in the US. Insist on talking to someone local when you call and want to change.

The third .. and biggest gripe .. was poor systems aound things which should happen automatically and staff who .. when things go wrong (as they did) .. were argumentative and amaterish - not up to 5 star standards. Examples - luggage not delivered to the room for over an hour after check in .. and then only when we asked for it. After 24 hours of flying .. not cool. Worse was placing a room service order, waiting for 45 minutes, calling up to ask what had happened, being fobbed off for a further 15 - 20 minutes and then being told the order had been lost - and then getting a lecture when we got annoyed saying 'human error happens'. We eventually ate what was a pretty good meal .. but way after it should've arrived. This shouldn't happen in a hotel of this standard .. even if you end up getting the meal gratis.

If they pick up their game .. maybe we'd consider returning .. because we really did want to like it!

Room was great close stroll along the yarra to the casino and southbank, and dfo being situated next door was great and I highly advise breackfast in one of the resturants downstairs!!

We stayed at the Hilton Jan 17-21 for the first leg of our Australian vacation.

The hotel itself is very modern and new. We had upgraded to the Executive package which entitled us to the use of the Executive lounge located on the 4th floor. The lounge is very nice and provided us with a continental breakfast and sodas/beers during the afternoon/evening. Free wifi is available in addition to a communal computer hooked up to a printer for your needs (good value if you don't want to spend the $29/day internet connection in your room) . The automated espresso machine provided a steady supply of caffeine too.

Our room on the 15th floor was a decent size. The standout would be the bathroom design. Sleek with separate shower and tub. The entire bathroom is closed off with a sliding door. Not the most private set up, but obviously done in the name of aesthetics. The bed was wonderfully comfortable!

The location is ok if you don't mind a bit of a walk. It's about a 6 minute walk to the Crown Casino area and the tram stop. Lots of dining options at Crown, but for my money, I'd catch the #96 tram and go into the CBD for the local alternatives.

The staff was friendly and efficient. We arranged a car rental through the concierge and all was handled well.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at this Hilton and would consider it again if we were ever in Melbourne. The main drawback would be that it did feel slightly expensive by American standards for what we got.